No. 2 Wake Forest (13-3-3, 7-2-1 ACC) rolled past Morehead State (9-8-6, 4-3-2 OVC) on Friday evening in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Spry Stadium.
The Demon Deacons took the lead 107 seconds after kickoff. Senior midfielder Anna Swanson scored deep in the box off a ball from junior forward Caiya Hanks. It was the fourth goal of the season for Swanson and first since Sept. 8 when she recorded two against UNC Asheville.
In the 13th minute, Hanks made a terrific move around an Eagles defender while sprinting down the right side of the pitch. She fired the ball off the left goalpost and into the back of the net to give the Demon Deacons a 2-0 lead.
Sophomore midfielder Dempsey Brown threaded a well-placed pass to Hanks a few possessions later. The junior outran three defenders to the ball and sent a shot into the top-right corner of the net, scoring her second goal of the night.
In the 26th minute, Hanks continued to produce on the offensive end. She made a quick move to her left in transition, before finding senior forward Emily Murphy in the middle of the box. Murphy ended the sequence with a goal to increase the lead to four.
Hanks, an All-ACC first-team selection, ranks top-10 in program history for points (29), goals (10) and assists (9) in a single season.
Nearly all of the Wake Forest starters had substituted out of the match by the second half. The Demon Deacons then played with a more conservative approach, slowing down the pace of play and forcing Morehead State to chase the ball.
A penalty kick from junior forward Alex Wood almost found the net in the 65th minute. The ball hit the left goalpost while the keeper dove the other direction. Wood controlled the rebound, but kicked the ball wide to the right and out of bounds.
Senior midfielder Nikayla Small played for the first time since she went down with an injury
against NC State. Small nearly scored on a transition run down the middle of the field, but her attempt was saved in the 84th minute.
At the final buzzer, the Demon Deacons had out-shot the Eagles 30-to-5 and held an 11-to-0 advantage on corner kicks. In addition, Wake Forest dominated time of possession, holding the ball for 76% of the match.
“Our movement and tempo was excellent, playing fast and simple is what we do best, and tonight showcased our passing game,” Wake Forest Head Coach Tony De Luz said.
All four Wake Forest goals on the evening came off of an assist. The Demon Deacons are fifth in the ACC with an average of 2.21 assists per game.
Wake Forest will host Colorado (12-4-5, 4-2-5 BIG 12) at Spry Stadium on Friday, Nov. 22 at 6:00 p.m. The Buffaloes upset No. 7 Georgia (8-7-6, 3-3-4 SEC) in their first-round matchup.
